1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nickel-based alloy and to objects manufactured from said nickel-based alloy, such as the blades of continuous flow machines, and a method for producing a corresponding nickel-based alloy.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Nickel-based alloys, and particularly nickel-based superalloys, are often used as the material from which blades are made, for example, in continuous flow machines such as stationary gas turbines or aircraft engines, because these materials have sufficient mechanical strength even at high temperatures to withstand the high mechanical loads to which they are exposed. In particular, when they are used in continuous flow machines under the prevailing ambient conditions with high operating temperatures and high mechanical loads due to centrifugal forces, such materials must also exhibit good creep resistance.
Nickel-based alloys are understood to be alloys in which the main component of the alloy, that is to say the component of the alloy present in the highest percentage, is nickel. Nickel-based superalloys in turn refer to alloys with a high percentage of components that have been added to the alloy, and which include intermetallic precipitates to confer particular hardness on the material. Accordingly, nickel-based superalloys such as IN718, CMSX-4, PWA1497 or René N6 have special microstructures that are essential prerequisites for the advantageous high-temperature properties of the materials.
Accordingly, nickel-based superalloys of such kind include cubic precipitates of a γ′-phase in a γ-matrix, so that precipitate hardening is brought about by the γ′-phase. Moreover, the alloy components in the γ-matrix also harden the mixed crystals.
Although this means that materials well suited to high-temperature applications in gas turbines or aircraft engines already exist, there is still a need to optimize corresponding alloys, to raise their operating temperatures and/or load limits still further, and generally to improve the characteristics profile thereof. Given dwindling resources, a further objective is to make optimal use of the alloy components, or to be able to replace them with other components.
It would therefore be advantageous to have available a nickel-based alloy and a method for producing said alloy, in which the alloy components included are used efficiently to achieve a balanced characteristics profile and in particular good strength and good creep resistance at high operating temperatures, wherein the alloy allows the composition to be varied within wide limits.